Indie Comic Review: Smythen #1

There's a certain power in slice of life comics. They have a long and storied history within the indie community. Smythen seems to fall into that line. However, the benefit of comic books is that it always leans into the fantastical. Smythen does a good job combining minor fantasy with a slice of Life feel. But it's not a story without any punch. It deals heavily with the subject of dating and the difficulties of doing it in the modern world. Slice of life comics always feel strongest when they have meaning behind their humor. Although there are certain areas in which the comic could improve, it more or less starts on a strong note by embodying that concept of meaning.

The story deals with Elliot as he struggles with his dating life. It's a fairly standard and straightforward struggle that a lot of people face. The plot feels very generic and grounded until Elliot heads home and meets his roommate, a draconic content creator named Lydaeria. The two characters contrast each other nicely as Lydaeria tries to uplift Elliot’s spirits. Once the failure of the evening is over, Lydaeria introduces Elliot to a dating app called Smythen. It's filled with other fantastical beings, none of whom Elliot’s particularly interested in. The first issue ends as he finds his brother’s fiancé on the app. 

Besides doing a good job creating interesting characters and a plot that makes the reader root for them, the book’s art style leans into its slice-of-life traditions. It feels holy indie in style, and the black and white art adds to it. The observational wit of American Splendor comes to mind while reading. However, the art most certainly didn't take lettering into account, which is the book's weakest element. On more than one occasion, it was difficult figuring out which character was speaking first. The lettering did the best job it could given the layout of the page, but it is definitely the one area of production that needed the most work. Hopefully, an adjustment will be made as the second issue ramps up its story.